3 definitions
by
k9 The Great

Many people longed to play Perfect Dark even before it was release in 2000 because of the amount of hype that surrounded it. But hey, it was developed by the same people that made Goldeneye - Rare, so from the beginning it was clear it was going to be a winner. Consisting of only about 30% of the original Goldeneye programming, you can see some very obvious improvements.

Perfect Dark attempted to make use of everything the N64 had to offer. It ripped every last ounce of power out of the N64 and so players needed the RAM expansion pack in order to take advantage of the amazing one player mode. If you ever play a game on the N64, compare the music from something like Mario Kart to the likes of Perfect Dark. You'll be surprised. The high res mode was a treat to be seen as well, but you'll only notice the difference on a big TV. By using the Gameboy connector that fitted into the controller, you could connect the Gameboy version of Perfect Dark (released after the N64 version) with the N64 and unlock some very interesting cheats (the Gameboy version was, unsurprisingly, pretty crap, so I won't go into that). Something you may like to know is that prerelease versions of Perfect Dark allowed players to also connect the Gameboy camera and transfer their faces onto multiplayer characters. I haven't come across another game that allows you to do that, as yet. Fortunately for us, some guys in America insisted that this function had to be removed because it was 'too realistic' and they were worried that it would somewhat blur the boundaries of realities when you shot the crap out of your friends. This really shouldn't have been a problem, because the thing was awarded an 18 certificate in the UK. You can't really go any higher, so I don't see why they didn't just let it go, but hey.

I got my version of Perfect Dark as soon as it came out (expensive stuff) and, because I was well under 18 at the time, it scared the shit out of me (I led a sheltered life). The thing that frightened me the most was the intelligence of the enemies. In Goldeneye, there were obvious flaws with the enemies that the player could use to their advantage. Generally, you could stick your head around the corner and wait for a guard to follow you to a hiding place and then shoot the hell of you. Perfect Dark's guards could hear what was going on around them, so if they heard gunshots nearby, they'd come looking for you. Playing it now, there are still ways around this, but compared to Goldeneye, where you can just shoot a guard in the back and the one standing next to him won't do a thing, it's a bit of a big step up.

I think the most impressive thing about Perfect Dark was the amazing amount and quality of scenery (there's some really cool looking stuff in that game, especially the alien space ships). And then of course, there's the meaty weapons that put Goldeneye to shame. The rocket launcher in Goldeneye is pretty flimsy looking, whereas the same thing in Perfect Dark is one mother of shit that you wouldn't want to find yourself on the other side of. The shotgun was oh so much cooler than the shotguns in Goldeneye.

Cut scenes were also an obvious improvement on Goldeneye. Rare said that they had felt restricted when they were doing Goldeneye because they had to stick to a certain storyline. Occasionally, they added or removed certain parts from the film because some bits just wouldn't have worked. There was no Casino scene in the game and there was nothing like the Bunker, Surface and Caverns level in the film, only mentions of them. In Perfect Dark, Rare were free to create their own HIGHLY complex storyline that really works when you think about it.

Don't compare Perfect Dark for the N64 to the latest video games. Don't compare it to Halo, because it's not Halo. Newer video games can quite easily turn round and say, hey, I really liked Perfect Dark, but we could improve upon the same kind of concept and add our own bits. You should compare Perfect Dark to shoot-em-ups on the PS1 and N64, because, lets face it, it beats them quite easily.

By the way, Rare are making a new Perfect Dark for the XBox 360, could be a reason to buy the next console from Microsoft, but if Microsoft have their way, I'm sure there'll be a load of other reasons not to buy one.

N64 Magazine -
"Absolutely Stunning. If you had to choose just one game for your N64, this would be it. Unmissable."

n. Entertainment console by Philips. Pretty much the foundation for those new-fangled multimedia PC thingies that work as a PC, TV, DVD Player, CD Player, etc. Launched in 1992, it never really took off. This was mainly due to the fact that it was so rediculously overpriced. Even now, there's some guy trying to flog them off for £60. Also, there really was no need for something as advanced at the time. It played VCDs (they never took off because there was little advantage over VHS), audio CDs (a very expensive way of doing that) Photo CDs and, of course, CD-Is.

The CD-I is mostly known as a games console, to which it did resort to becoming later on. In comparison with other games consoles of the time, it was far more powerful than the SNES or the Sega Megadrive. The games that were exclusive to the CD-I, however, were lame. For instance, the awful Hotel Mario (Nintendo lent Philips the license).

In my opinion, the Philips CD-I was best for it's version of Lemmings (second only to the Commodore Amiga's) and the heavy, well built mouse.

This type of software is often classified as a computer game. This is not so. A computer game, under most people's definition is 'enjoyable for more than two minutes'. In the case of a flight sim, these two minutes are often the time it takes to realise that the disk you've stuck in your computer isn't actually Doom 3 (a computer game).

Further evidence to suggest that a filght simulator is not a game can be provided by the lack of flight simulators on games consoles, as these would trigger the downfall to any console manufacturer who considered this suitable material.

Some people aspire to create the ultimate flight simulator in their houses. These are often located in their mother's loft space or spare bedroom. These can consist of several monitors connected to one or more computers. It has been known for some enthusiasts to replace the popular keyboard and mouse of a computer with actual controls or controls that resemble those found in real aeroplanes. This is often considered to be sad.

It is generally advised that these enthusiasts try a better form of interactive entertainment, such as an actual video game. Starting off with a flight orientated classic such as Decent or Space Invaders may be suitable as a half-way point. Alternatively, that failing, social interaction may need to be forced.

Computer user:
"I can't wait for my copy of Doom 3 to start up. Any second now, I'll be blasting the hell out of... What the HELL is this?!!"